


Simply The Best

by ReaderOfFics817



Category: The Rookie (TV 2018)
Genre: Drunkenness, F/M, Falling In Love, Friendship/Love, Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-05
Updated: 2021-02-05
Packaged: 2021-03-16 15:42:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29209800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ReaderOfFics817/pseuds/ReaderOfFics817
Summary: Tim and Lucy go out to blow off some steam after a rough week and begin to see each other in a new light.
Relationships: Tim Bradford & Lucy Chen, Tim Bradford/Lucy Chen
Comments: 12
Kudos: 121





	Simply The Best

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so on a random one shot binge... have like 3094832 going at the moment, it's ridiculous. Anyway, had a lot of fun with this one. If you haven't seen Schitt's Creek, highly recommend... or at least watch the video of David Rose dancing to "The Best" by Tina Turner... so you know what I'm talking about.

Neither of them knew how it happened, all they knew was that it did. They were drunk, like six sheets to the wind, giggly, happy, and drunk. 

They had bumped in to each other at the end of shift, both having had a rough day. Lucy was on patrol dealing with a higher proportion of ass holes than usual, and Tim, now a sergeant, had dealt with personnel issues and paperwork all day, his least favorite. It had been a few months since she finished her training and if he let himself think about it, he knew he missed her. She kept his job interesting, challenged him in ways he hadn’t been in years, and though he loved his new position most of the time, he did wish they got to work together more frequently. That was why, when she flat out said she had a rough day, he invited her out without a second thought. It wasn’t like they didn’t hang out, they did. Just usually, it was with the whole group. First time for everything, though. 

They had shown up at a bar of Lucy’s choosing, her adamant that they had the best fried pickles in the city. She wasn’t wrong, they were pretty damn good, and so were the drinks… which if they thought about it is probably how they ended up in this state. 

Two beers for him and two glasses of wine in for her, they both had found themselves lost to time, just enjoying the banter they had fallen in to. They ordered a third, the bartender barely having to ask, as they smiled and slid their glasses to him for a refill, neither wanting the night to end.

Maybe it was because they hadn’t had a lot of time to catch up lately, maybe it was because they could finally be themselves without the TO/student relationship demanding a level of professionalism, or maybe it was the atmosphere, but the conversation never lulled. They were having fun, Tim finally letting himself laugh at her sassy remarks, and Lucy letting her guard down, being her true self. 

At some point, Lucy decided she wanted to dance, Tim refusing, stating he didn’t dance, at least not after three drinks. That was his mistake, if not after three drinks, then what? Lucy bubbly from her three glasses of wine immediately had ordered shots, betting she would get him to dance before the night was up, making sure she ordered him an extra to catch up. 

So, here they were, Tim completely turned to her in his barstool, his head resting in his hand as he leaned on the bar top. His eyes twinkling, his smile wide, he listened to her tell an animated story about the drunk guy she picked up that morning that tried to grope her. She had stopped him obviously, dropping the poor guy to his knees and cuffing him before he knew what even hit him. Tim was proud of her, she could hold her own, and he knew someday she’d probably be running the damn precinct, but that wasn’t the whole reason he was grinning like an idiot. Her story telling was easy passionate, funny, and if he was being completely honest, cute as all hell. It was a thought that surprised him, he had never thought of her that way before, but now that he saw it, he couldn’t unsee it. He knew tomorrow he’d beat himself up for letting his mind go there, but right now, he let himself. 

Little did he know, she felt the same. She wasn’t sure if it was the alcohol, the dim bar lighting and twinkly lights, or the fact that his blue eyes were focused on hers and hers alone, but it made her feel all warm inside; he was handsome, especially when he smiled like that, it was distracting. The thing was - she knew him, how could she not after spending hundreds of shifts as his shadow, but there were parts of him she was curious about. She had gotten glimpses of it over her rookie year and now that they were friends, she definitely got to see it more often, but she knew she hadn’t seen it all, him still being reserved when Nolan, Jackson, and Nyla were around. The fact that he let her see more of him than he allowed to others thrilled her, like he was the best kind of mystery, the kind she never wanted to put down. Like tonight, he wasn’t serious, he wasn’t tense, he wasn’t even smug — he was relaxed, funny, and something else that she could only describe as boyishly charming. She was having fun, real fun, maybe for the first time in weeks and the fact that Tim Bradford was the sole cause of that shocked her in the best of ways. 

“You’re not working tomorrow right?” She asked him as the bartender came over asking if they needed anything. 

“Nope. You?” He smiled, knowing where this was going. 

“Nope.” She grinned, turning back to the bartender, “I’ll have a Tom Collin’s please.” 

“What are you, a seventy year old man?” Tim laughed, that drink being something he never would have expected from her. 

“Oh pshh, they’re delicious and you know it.” She waved her hand dismissively. 

He nodded his head like he couldn’t believe his ears, before asking the bartender for the same thing, “Never had one, better be good, Chen.” 

“Gin is always good.” She smirked, leaning closer to him. 

“It tastes like a Christmas tree.” He smiled.

“A yummy one.” She shrugged, “Anyway, you said your day sucked too. What’s up?” 

“You know how Reynolds can be?” 

“A misogynist?” She answered without a second thought causing him to laugh. 

“I wasn’t going to say that, but I suppose it’s accurate.” He nodded, “He somehow got paired with Roberts.” 

“Oh boy.” She cringed. Roberts was an awesome cop, but she didn’t take shit from anyone, especially men, and had a bit of a temper. Lucy actually loved her confidence, but she could see the two of them being paired together would result in a headache for the sergeants. 

“Yeah, so that’s all I’m going to say on that.” He laughed, “Also had all the end of the month reports to do which was fine, but…” 

“You hate paperwork.” 

“Yeah.” 

“So, safe to say you miss my gorgeous face making you partake in useless chitter chatter all day? I knew it.” She said sarcastically, joking about how Tim always told her she talked too much. 

“Something like that.” He said, his voice an octave lower than usual, sending a wave of goosebumps up her arm. 

She bit her lip, if he kept talking to her like that, she was going to get herself into trouble. The fun kind trouble, but still. Feeling the atmosphere shift, she let herself enjoy it for a second, “My plan worked then.” She winked, her words playing on the edge of flirty. 

“To give me Stockholm syndrome?” He joked. 

“Rude!” She smacked his arm laughing, “But accurate…We’re friends.” She said friends, just as she had a few months back before she finished her training. 

The difference was, this time he could be her friend, they were now just colleagues at work; sure, he outranked her, but had no direct control over her day to day role. He looked at her, his smile growing impossibly bigger as he realized that yes, Lucy was a person he wanted as a friend, his brain ignoring the little voice in his said that maybe she could be more than that. The way she said friends though, like it was a huge triumph that she had conquered, her eyes twinkling in amusement, was almost too much. He needed that drink. 

“Don’t deny it, you know it’s true.’ She continued to tease when he didn’t respond. 

“I plead the 5th.” He chuckled, as the bartender dropped off their next round, them moving on to whatever topics came to mind. 

An hour later they were officially the perfect level of plastered and Lucy wanted to dance again. It was perfect timing really, a DJ had just set up for the night, turning up the volume as the bar got more crowded. She slipped off her barstool, grabbing her drink. 

“Where are you going?” He asked, she looking at him like she was up to something. 

“I want to dance and I love this song, come on.” She started to sway, sipping her drink at the same time. The opening lines of Tina Turner’s ‘The Best’ getting the crowd dancing. 

“Tina Turner, Boot? Really?” 

“What? This song is making a comeback thanks to Schitt’s Creek.” 

“You would like that show.” Tim laughed as she started reenacting the dance. 

“Everybody likes that show.” She countered, starting to use her cup like a microphone, “I call you when I need you, my hearts on fire; You come to me, come to me wild and wild….” She sang reaching out her hand to pull him towards the dance floor. 

He laughed, her dancing and singing purposely over the top. He didn’t dance, that was not something he ever did, but between the booze, the music, and her hopeful smile he reached out his hand to take hers without a second thought. 

He didn’t dance, but he danced with her. Twirling her around playfully, them laughing as she sang along. The booze mixed with her presence giving him confidence, he started reenacting the dance David did in Schitt’s Creek, a move he knew would surprise her. He actually found the show funny and had watched the whole thing recently, “You’re simply the best, better than all the rest, better than anyone, anyone I’ve ever met…” He sang along with the crowd, breaking out the moves, directing them at her. 

It was such out of character behavior for him, but she loved it. This night was out of character behavior for both of them really; Lucy hadn’t let herself drink to excess outside of her own home since Caleb, but with Tim she felt safe enough to let loose. He wouldn’t let anything happen to her, he was chivalrous that way, but also protective of her. It felt good, good to have fun, good to laugh, good to dance around like two idiots, good to be with him. Fuck, she was in trouble. 

She paused, watching him reenact the David Rose dance, her mouth open, shocked in amusement. “YOU KNOW THE DANCE?!” She just about screeched as he just kept on dancing, making it abundantly obvious he had seen the show, “THIS IS AMAZING.” 

He laughed, walking up to her as he kept going, but this time grabbing her hand and spinning her again, her letting out a drunk, girly laugh as her back fell against his chest. They were stepping into dangerous territory and he knew it, but couldn’t help himself. This was the most fun he had had in months, maybe years. Nothing wrong with a little innocent dancing and drinking between friends, right? 

When the song ended, Lucy threw back the rest of her drink, before stating her needs, “I want friend dough.” 

“What?” He asked, considering that request kind of odd. 

“I want fried dough.” She smiled, speaking like it was the most obvious thing in the world. 

“We were no where near the boardwalk.” He laughed. 

“Tiimmmm,” she whined, “Please. I’ll buy.” 

“Okay, okay. Get an Uber,” he chuckled, “I’ll close our tabs.” They made their way back to the bar. She tried to hand him her card, but he waived her off, “I got it.” 

“You don’t have to do that.”

“I know.’ He acknowledged, implying that he just wanted to. “Think of it as your graduation present.” 

“Okay, thank’s Tim.” She smiled, pulling out her phone to get the Uber. 

Half an hour later, they were walking on the beach boardwalk, Lucy basically skipping towards the fried dough stand, the beach breeze causing her hair to blow around her face. He walked behind her, smiling the whole way. She bought them both a huge fried dough, covering hers in powdered sugar, it immediately getting on her nose. The sight of Lucy, a goofy grin on her face, her nose white with sugar, her hair big and frizzy around her face, her eyes hazy… if he thought she was cute before, he had no idea how to describe her now. Adorable didn’t even begin to cover it. 

They walked on to the sand with their food, looking out over the water, the city bright behind them. It was the first time that evening a quiet had settled over them, both of them lost in thought. 

“God, I’m gonna be so hungover tomorrow.” Tim cringed, breaking the silence when he finished his fried dough, flopping back on to the sand to stare at the moon. 

“Yeah, did we have any water?” 

“None.” He laughed, “You’re a bad influence.” 

“I’m a bad influence?” She turned to him feigning offense, “It was your idea to get drinks this evening, let me remind you.” She laid back on the sand next to him, following his gaze to the moon. 

“Yes, but it was you who ordered the shots.” He pointed out. 

“To get you to dance with me, which I don’t care how bad I feel tomorrow, that was totally worth it. Stellar rendition, I must say.” She laughed, remembering him busting out his moves. 

“You tell anyone about that, and I will …” 

“You’ll what?” She smirked, “Can’t punish me with burpees anymore, Bradford.”

“True.” He laughed, “I’ll deny it.” 

“So scary.” She giggled, rolling her eyes, “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me….. IF you promise to do it again one day. I gotta experience that at least one more time.” 

“I can live with those terms.” He chuckled. 

“Thanks for tonight, Tim.” She turned, “Really. It feels good to have fun. I feel like I haven’t in ages.” 

“Of course.” He smiled, “But didn’t you go out last weekend with Jackson? ”

“Yeah, but… I don’t know… Since Caleb I haven’t had a night out where I really just let loose. I know you won’t let anything happen so…” she shrugged. 

“No… I won’t.” He confirmed as he pushed himself to sitting, “You doing okay with all of that? I know we never really talked about it.” 

“Most of the time, yeah. Nightmares are less frequent at least.” She fiddled with her ring, as he watched her, the piece of jewelry meaning just as much to him. 

“I’m really proud of you, you know? What you did that day, how you handled it after.” 

“Wow, compliments from the mighty Tim Bradford, what did I do to deserve this?” She smiled, trying to lighten the mood. 

“I’m serious, Lucy. When I saw that ring, I knew right then you were something else. You’re smart, you think on your feet, you use your team well, and you’re a fighter, those are all the qualities you need to be a good cop, a leader.” He said honestly, “You should start thinking about what direction you want to go in - TO, detective, whatever. You put your mind to it, I know you’ll get there.” 

She smiled, a little lost for words, “Thanks, Tim.” She looked back up at the moon, “Just so you know, I wasn’t handling it all that well, until I talked to you.” She thought about that day, him tossing her ring back to her. 

“Yeah, well. We all need a little nudge sometimes.” He shrugged. 

“I kept it you know.” She said quietly. 

“Kept what?” 

“The tattoo.” She lifted the hem of her shirt to show him, “I just added to it. What you said about it being the first day of the rest of my life, you were right. So, turned an ugly tattoo into a pretty one.” 

He squinted, looking at the details in the darkness. She had left the date, but had ivy tattooed around it, tying the numbers together with what looked like watercolor flowers branching out on either side. It was beautiful, she was beautiful. “Glad to hear it.” He smiled, an understanding settling between the two of them as she lowered the hem back down. 

“As for the other thing… I’ve been thinking about becoming a TO… or joining a specialized force like SWAT while teaching part time at the academy.” 

“I bet you’d give those SWAT guys a run for their money.” Tim laughed, “and those poor unsuspecting Boots.” 

“Well, I learned from the best.” 

“Damn straight.” He smirked, causing her to laugh, “But you let me know, I can write recommendations, whatever.” 

“You’ll be the first to know.” She smiled, pulling her phone out of her pocket as she felt it buzzing. “Shit, I forgot to tell Jackson I wasn’t coming home right away.” She answered quick, “Hey… no, I’m fine…. Just got a few drinks with Bradford…. We’re at the beach… I’ll be home eventually… Yes, he’ll make sure I get home…” she gave Tim a look, rolling her eyes at Jackson’s questions, “He promises, Jackson.” 

“Front door service!” Tim shouted, causing her to giggle right along with him, the alcohol still making them find random things funny. 

“…We’re not drunk…. Okay, fine. Maybe we are…. No we’re not driving, DAD… We’ll get an Uber…OH MY GOD, JACKSON.” She turned red, making Tim very curious as she hung up the phone. 

“What was that?” 

“He’s just jealous he had to work till ten and couldn’t come out.” She smiled, obviously not telling the whole story. In reality, he had made a pretty obvious innuendo, an innuendo she couldn’t deny had crossed her mind a few times that night. But, not today, maybe one day, but not now. For now, she would enjoy getting to know the true Tim Bradford and see where life led. 

“Ah.” Tim nodded, not ready to push it just yet. They were toeing the line a bit, but right now that’s what was safe. She had just been set loose as a P2, he had just become a sergeant. Crossing the line now would be a mistake, but maybe, just maybe one day it wouldn’t be. This night felt kind of like a date, and if it was, it would definitely be the winner of best first date ever, that wasn’t what tonight was. Tonight was just two friends hanging out, enjoying the city, and accidentally drinking a bit too much. He was okay with that. “What do you say we go find some water? Go for a walk and hydrate before we get you home?” 

“Sounds perfect.” She smiled, taking his hand as he helped her to standing, brushing of the sand from their clothes. 

Forty minutes and a massive gatorade later, they decided it was time to call it a night. They had walked at least a mile, sobering up as they let the gentle waves hit their feet. She had ordered an Uber to pick them both up, her apartment being the first stop. He had even walked her to her door, citing his promise to Jackson to make sure she made it home safe. 

“See you Monday?” She had asked quietly, not wanting to wake Jackson. 

“See you Monday.” He affirmed with a nod, his smile combined with the twinkle in his blue eyes making her feel like a pile of putty. 

She smiled back as he turned and walked away. Sighing, she closed the door, heading to bed, her mood light and happy. 

— 

Groaning, he rolled over, the light blaring through his window, sending a sharp pounding through his skull. Picking up his phone, he looked at the time, it was already ten am and he had three missed text messages. One from his Mother that he’d read later and another two from Lucy. ‘I am unwell’ the first one read, followed by another sent an hour later, ‘Are you alive?’ Causing him to laugh. 

‘I am not a morning person. Just woke up… and am also unwell. Sunlight is evil.’ He sent back. 

‘Not a morning person? Wow, you are full of surprises. What else don’t I know?’ She typed back. 

‘Guess you’ll just have to wait and find out ;)’ He sent, realizing that response was on the far side of flirty. 

She sent the excited emoji back, his thoughts about the previous night causing him to flop back on his bed with a groan. Whatever shifted between them last night he had a feeling was gonna get him in a lot of trouble and if it didn’t, it at the very least would keep him up at night.

— 

“Wait, so you’re telling me, you went out to have a quick drink with Bradford, and suddenly six hours later you were both hammered walking on the beach?” 

“Pretty much, yeah.” Lucy shrugged, filling her coffee mug with round two, the Advil finally taking the edge off her headache. 

“And it wasn’t awkward?” 

“No. It was fun.” She sipped her coffee, “You’re friends with Angela.” 

“What did you even talk about?” He ignored the second half of her statement. He was friends with Angela, but for some reason this felt different. Bradford was… well, from what he knew, not the type to go get drunk with his old rookie. 

“Whatever came up.” She answered, not really getting why Jackson found the whole situation so odd. 

“Sounds like a date.” 

“It wasn’t a date, Jackson.” She rolled her eyes, hoping he wouldn’t see the blush that was sure to be appearing on her face. It wasn’t a date, but in many ways it felt like one. A really good one. “We’re friends.” 

“Did he pay for anything?” 

“The drinks at Layla’s Tiki Bar.” She shrugged, now avoiding eye contact. 

“Wait wait wait. You started at Layla’s, then went to the other side of town to the beach?” 

“Yes. You know how when I drink too much I want fried dough.” She answered, like it was obvious how they ended up there. Feeling her phone buzz she looked at the screen, seeing that Tim had responded finally, she was starting to get worried. Typing out a quick reply she put her phone down. 

“Is that him?” Jackson asked after it buzzed again, whatever the message said making Lucy smile unconsciously. 

“Uh, yeah.” She put the phone back down, knowing Jackson would read way too far into that text. She might even be reading too far into it, it was flirty, giving her butterflies. 

“Right. It wasn’t a date.” Jackson scoffed. 

“It wasn’t.” 

“Oh come on, I haven’t seen you smile this much after hanging out with a guy since….” He thought about it, “Well… ever.” 

“We had fun, that’s all. Drank, danced, walked on the beach, ate some food. We both had a stressful day and wanted to blow off some steam.” 

“Tim Bradford danced?” Jackson smirked, realizing she probably didn’t mean to share that part. 

“Do NOT tell him I told you this, but he knew the dance from Schitt’s Creek, the one when David dances to The Best.” Lucy smiled, the memory probably the highlight of her month. 

“NO?!” Jackson said shocked. 

“YES. Like full lip sync, perfect rendition, it was AMAZING.” Lucy told him. 

“Are we talking about the same Tim Bradford? Tall, blonde, stupid handsome?” Jackson asked with a laugh. He had gotten Lucy to admit she thought he was attractive months ago, I mean how could she not. 

“Killer blue eyes? Oh yeah. Same guy.” Lucy laughed. 

“That should be illegal.” 

“RIGHT?” 

“Ok, really not helping your case that this wasn’t a date.” Jackson stated the obvious. 

“It really wasn’t.” 

“Either way, I’m calling it now. Lopez says he’s been different with you, and obviously she’s right… On top of that, he’s a man. You’re hot. You think he’s got killer blue eyes.” He quoted her previous words, “It’s only a matter of time.” 

“For what?” 

“You gonna fuuuuuuck.” He smirked. 

“JACKSON!” She smacked his arm. 

“On the bright side, you’ll have beautiful babies.” He teased, “Imagine his eyes with your asian features, now that should be definitely be illegal.” 

She crinkled her nose at him, biting her lip, at a loss for words. 

“I’ll stop, I’ll stop.” He held up his hands in defense with a laugh. Maybe it wasn’t a date, but after what he just heard, and knowing Lucy, he had a feeling at some point, that would change. The funny part, was that it didn’t seem that odd when he thought about it, kinda like they fit together. 

— 

A year later, Jackson’s assumptions would prove correct. At that point, everyone saw it coming, like their feelings for each other grew to be so huge, it was blinding. They had been at Layla’s as a group, all celebrating Lucy becoming a part time instructor for the academy. She, Angela, and Jackson were dancing the night away, when a familiar song started playing. 

Lucy immediately found Tim’s gaze across the bar where he was chatting with Nolan, a playful smile lighting up her face. He realizing what song was playing immediately mouthed “Nooooo.” Shaking his head as she approached, her hand out just as it had been that night a year ago. Angela looked confused watching the interaction as Jackson smirked, knowing exactly why Lucy looked so pleased. 

“Pleaaaaase.” Lucy whined, pouting. At this point, she had him wrapped around her little finger, and she knew it. “You know you want to.” She started to dramatically do the dance herself. “I call you when I need you, my heart’s on fire…” 

“One condition.” He interrupted her singing, his voice low as he stepped into her space, suddenly feeling confident enough to do what he was about to do, “The second it’s done,” he whispered in her ear, “You, me, fried dough and a walk on the beach?” 

“Just us?” She asked, knowing what he was asking. 

“Just us.” He nodded. 

“It’s a date then.” She smiled, reaching her hand out again to pull him to the dance floor. 

He shook his head with a sigh, throwing back his drink and placing it on the table before following her out into the crowd, slowly easing his way into the dance, her pretty much giddy with excitement, clapping as he started to get into it. 

“In your heart I see the star of every night and every day, In your eyes I get lost, I get washed away…” He sang with her, smiling as he spun her just as he had the year prior, letting her back fall into him, before spinning her back away from him dramatically. 

As the final chorus started, their friends joined them, the shock of Tim letting loose like that adding to the fun of the moment. “You’re simply the best! Better than all the rest!…” He danced, making her laugh hysterically, loud and happy. As the song ended, he pulled her hand, whispering so only she could hear, close enough that she could feel his breath on her neck, “Ready to make a break for it?” 

“Let’s go.” She whispered back, squeezing his hand, as they both turned and ran off the dance floor. 

“WHERE ARE YOU TWO GOING?!” Jackson yelled. 

“You’re not invited!” Lucy smirked, turning briefly to answer him. They laughed, running out into the summer night, finding a cab to take them to the boardwalk. 

They followed in the same steps as the year before, her running to the fried dough stand, free and happy. But this time, when he looked up to find her with a white nose, covered in powered sugar, he didn’t ignore how adorable he found her. He smiled at her, a smile wide enough to get her to stop eating, looking at him confused as to why he was staring. 

“What?” She asked, swallowing the bite of dough she had just shoveled in. 

“You are so friggin adorable,” He chuckled, pulling her to him and kissing her like he had wanted to a year ago, but knew the timing was wrong. Today though, he knew the timing was spot on. It was the start of forever, they were where they needed to be career-wise, ready to settle down, and completely and undeniably in love. In that moment he was glad he had waited the year, there was no question, they were both in this. They had spent the year showing each other who they truly were, making them solid and ready to take on the world right from day one. 

They didn’t know it yet, but a year from then they would dance again at their wedding, right on that boardwalk. They would eat fried dough and sneak off for a walk on the beach, just them. A year after that, Lucy would give birth to their twins, their blue eyed, brown haired, little mini-versions of each of them, twins. Jackson would shake his head after meeting them, saying he knew the combination should be illegal, they were just too cute. 

All in all, good things come to those who wait and looking back, their journey to find each other was… well… simply the best.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed!


End file.
